A FAMED British guerrilla force which clandestinely fought behind Japanese lines has been reformed by Defence chiefs – as Twitter warriors.

And their badge is a Burmese dragon in honour of their glorious predecessors, the Chindits.

The 77th Brigade, or Chindits, suffered heavy casualties fighting the Japanese in the jungles of Burma between 1942 and 1945.

They specialised in gathering intelligence, sabotage and deception.

Now it has been reborn as 77 Brigade to tackle the enemy on social media.

Based in Hermitage, near Newbury in Berkshire, the brigade will bring together specialists in media, signalling and psychological operations, with some Special Forces soldiers and possibly computer hackers.

The brigade has been formed to compete with “agile and complex” adversaries who often treat the internet and the media as vital weapons for coded messages, propaganda, recruitment and incitement.